Konica (I), II and III
The Konica (or Konica I) and its successors the Konica II, and Konica III are fixed-lens, leaf-shutter rangefinder 35mm cameras (24×36 mm) that Konishiroku made from 1947 until 1959 or 1960. The Konica was based on an earlier camera body that Konishiroku had produced for X-ray photography, the Rubicon. The Rubicon that was sold has no finder, but a small number of Konica prototypes are marked Rubikon, with a "k". Similarly to "Leica", "Yashica" and many others, the name "Konica" was constructed by abbreviating the name of the manufacturer and attaching "ca" (for "camera") as a suffix. It would only later become the name of the company too. Throughout the period when it was manufactured and sold, the Konica was the only camera for 135 film from Konishiroku, although the company also made the Konilette for paper-backed, unperforated 35mm film. Meanwhile, the main product for 120 film was the Pearl, and even the numbering of the Konica and Pearl seem to have gone up together.Other Konishiroku cameras of the period were limited to the Snappy subminiature and the Koniflex TLR. (Konishiroku was making two models of standard lens for Leica-mount cameras, notably the Honor.) The SLR cameras would start a little later. Total production of the Konica (I) through the IIIM exceeded four hundred thousand.Miyazaki, p. 37. The Konica models dealt with here were followed by the Konica S, and its successors: very much 1960s designs and weighing considerably less than these cameras. Konica (I) The Konica (later known as the Konica I or Konica Standard) is a knob-wound camera with separate eyepieces for the rangefinder and viewfinder. It has a 50mm Konishiroku lens and a Konirapid shutter with speeds B, 1–500. The only shutter release is on the lens barrel, which also has a lever for cocking the shutter. The top of the camera is inscribed Konica (with the tail of the "a" hooking back to the "K" and beyond) and the number. There are a number of variants. On the very earliest examples (from March 1948Unless noted otherwise, all month–year references in this article are to the initial sale within Japan and are derived from Miyazaki.), the lens is a collapsible f/3.5 Hexar, the shutter is a Konirapid, the plate over the front of the shutter is black, with "Konishiroku" and concentric arcs picked out in silver, the distance scale is marked in metres, and the top also says Made in occupied Japan. "Konishiroku" is embossed in the leather on the back. The next version has a shutter plate that is silver rather than black. This was followed in April 1950 by a version with an f/2.8 Hexar lens. "Made in occupied Japan" is no longer inscribed. The f/3.5 and f/2.8 versions seem to have been sold concurrently. Tests of the camera were published around 1948According to p. 351, Ars Camera, November 1948; Kōga Gekkan, February 1947 and March 1948; Shashin Salon (comparative evaluation), January 1953; etc. and it was advertised in magazines dated June 1948 through June 1950. p. 359. Later versions had a Konirapid-S shutter, synchronized for flash: such cameras were advertised as Synchro Konica (シンクロコニカ, shinkuro konika), but still simply inscribed Konica. This in turn was followed in August 1951 by a version with an f/2.8 Hexanon lens, and distances marked in feet for the US market. The shutter is a Konirapid-S. This was advertised in magazines dated August 1950 through January 1951. p. 359. At least one company (not Konishiroku) offered a conversion that added something akin to a body release: the new button is at the level of and immediately in front of the top plate; it operates a lever that pushes down the button on the lens barrel.Depicted Miyazaki p. 23. Konica II The Konica II (from 1951) provides a body release. It has a rigid lens, and an accessory shoe. Together with its variants (the Konica IIA, IIB, etc.), the Konica II looks very different from earlier and later models. The circular lens mount is not attached directly to the leather of the body covering; instead, it is attached to a metal plate mounted over the leather, a plate extending from the top housing to the bottom plate but whose sides are curved. (The Konica III would retain this plate but make it smaller, and do away with the curves.) The view from the top shows the expected film advance on the right, doubling as the frame counter, and the rewind knob on the left, doubling as a film reminder. The shutter release button is close to the film advance knob and toward the front. The accessory shoe is slightly to the right of centre. The top of the housing is inscribed Konica (again with a decorative end to the "a") and below this, and in much taller lettering, either II (for all the models discussed in this section other than the IIA) or IIA. Viewed from the front, just within the top left extremity of the curvacious metal plate is, on most versions, a knob for the self timer with two positions, I'' and ''T. On cheaper versions this knob is replaced by a decorative round plate. Toward its bottom left, the larger plate is, on all but the cheaper versions, inscribed 24X36. (On other versions there is no inscription of any kind.) The appearance of the camera is slick and modern — 1950s rather than 1940s — but as well as being knob wound it requires the shutter to be cocked, as on a conventional rollfilm camera of the time. Sales of the Konica II and its variants totaled over 120,000.Miyazaki, p. 26. The original Konica II, released in December 1951, has a 50mm f/2.8 Hexanon lens and a Konirapid-S shutter (T, B, 1–500). It is inscribed 24X36.''Uniquely, ''T and I'' are marked on the self-timer knob itself: one turns this so one or other is aligned with a mark at the bottom of the top housing. It was priced at ¥38,000 and advertised in magazines dated from February 1952 till February 1955.Span of advertising: . Price: Miyazaki, p. 26. The '''Konica IIB' is a cheaper version. The lens is a 50mm Hexar rather than Hexanon, whose aperture is either f/3.5 (from May 1955) or f/2.8 (from June 1955); T is no longer an option on the shutter; and the self-timer knob is replaced by a round cover marked Konica B. However, the shutter is still the Konirapid-S, with (T aside) the full range of shutter speeds up to 500. The IIB lacks the 24X36 inscription.As does the IIBm. Sizes such as 24×32 and 24×34 were initially popular in Japan as a way to reduce the waste of film, but unpopular with American commercial film processors. Perhaps the cheaper versions of the Konica II were neither sold to the US military nor exported, but this is mere speculation. Regardless of the presence or absence of this inscription, all have a frame size of 24×36 mm. An advertisement of summer 1955 offers the IIB with f/3.5 lens and case for ¥27,000.Asahi Camera, August 1955; reproduced in , p. 137. It was advertised in magazines dated August–December 1955, and priced at ¥27,000.Price: Miyazaki, p. 26. The Konica IIF (February 1956) has a 50mm f/2.8 Hexanon lens and a Konirapid-MFX shutter. Rather few of these were made.Miyazaki, p. 29. The Konica IIA (March 1956) is substantially the same as the original II with Konirapid-MFX other than for its lens, a 48mm f/2 Hexanon (six elements in five groups).A minor detail of this (and all later versions) is that I'' and ''T are inscribed on the plate outside the self-timer knob; one turns the knob so that its index mark matches one or the other. The top plate is inscribed Konica IIA, as noted above. It was advertised in magazines dated April and May 1956, and priced at ¥35,000.Price: Miyazaki, p. 26. The Konica IIBm (February 1957) is a revision of the IIB. The lens is now a 45mm f/3.5 Hexar, and the shutter a Seikosha-MX (B, 1–500). The cover replacing the self-timer knob is marked IIB-m (with no mention of Konica). It was advertised in magazines dated November 1956 until March 1957, and priced at ¥22,500.Price: Miyazaki, p. 26. The design of the Konica II was shamelessly aped by Tōkyō Kōken for its Dolca 35 II.As charmingly illustrated by Miyazaki, p. 30. Interchangeable-lens prototype Inspired by the Kodak Retina IIc and IIIc in early 1954, Konishiroku worked on an interchangeable-lens Konica II. It had a Hexanon 50/1.9 and 85/3.5 lenses, sharing a fixed rear section behind the shutter. This was announced on 21 October 1954 and exhibited in a Tokyo department store, more or less simultaneously with the teleconverter for the Koniflex TLR; it never went into production.All the information about this prototype is from Miyazaki, pp. 29–30. Miyazaki does not name the department store and indeed (thanks to the lack of obligatory singular/plural distinction in Japanese) says nothing incompatible with the notion that a number of prototypes were completed, perhaps shown in two or more department stores. But this is unlikely. No such prototype (and indeed no Konishiroku prototype from before 1957) was exhibited in the Konica Minolta exhibition held at the JCII Camera Museum in 2005, so presumably no prototype remains in the possession of Konica Minolta (or Sony). Konica III The Konica III (from 1956) is a considerable advance from the Konica II: the shutter is cocked by the film advance, which is operated by a lever on the front. The Konica III (as well as the IIIA and IIIM, discussed below) are immediately distinguishable from the Konica II (and all its variations) thanks to the film wind lever, which is not on the top but instead on the front of the camera, and invites the use of the forefinger (or thumb) of the photographer's left hand (similar to that on the Adox 300 and Zeiss Tenax). This lever needs two strokes and cocks the shutter at the same time as it winds the film. The curvacious metal plate between leather and lens on the II is reduced and made more rectangular. The self-timer control (where present) becomes a lever and the film rewind knob also has a fold-out crank, both of them like those on any of dozens of rangefinder camera or SLR designs. The top cover is engraved Konica, below this (and much taller) III, and below this (and much smaller) NO. and the serial number. Each model has a 48mm Hexanon lens (six elements in five groups). Sales of the Konica III and its variants (including the IIIA and IIIM) totaled over 170,000.Miyazaki, p. 31. The original Konica III (or Konica IIIMFX, September 1956) has an f/2 lens (six elements in five groups) with Konirapid MFX shutter (B, 1–500). It cost ¥34,500, including case.Advertisement in Asahi Camera, special edition for summer 1957; reproduced in , p. 242. It weighs 750g.Miyazaki, p. 34. The Konica IIIL (or Konica IIIMXL, April 1955) has a Seikosha MXL shutter, with the then-popular light-value system. Quite aside from the arguable irritations of the LV interlock, this particular implementation is rather half-baked as the LV setting itself is on the bottom of the lens barrel, so the camera must be inverted in order to adjust it. The lens itself is unchanged. It was introduced in the magazines dated June to August 1957. All the subsequent models too would have Seikosha shutters: Konishiroku, like smaller companies making shutters, realized it could not compete with the quality and scale of Seikosha and Copal.Miyazaki, p. 32 (although Miyazaki does not name Copal). Not surprisingly, a Konica IIIL2 (or Konica IIIMXL2) succeeded the IIIL, with the LV setting on the top rather than bottom of the lens barrel. It was introduced in the magazines dated January and February 1958. A cheaper version of the IIIL2 has an f/2.4 lens and no self timer (March 1958). (This is the least common of the variants of the III.Miyazaki, p. 34.) It was introduced in the magazines dated May 1958. Konica IIIA and IIIM While the nomenclature of Konica's next pair of cameras suggests that neither differed from the III more than, say, the IIA differed from the II, they are improved so dramatically as to be considered separately, perhaps as a misnamed IV and V.This may be related to the well-known east Asian reluctance to number things (products, hotel floors, etc.) as four. But clearly the reluctance wasn't overwhelmingly strong: note the Canon IV, and even the Pearl IV from Konishiroku itself. The major change is to the finder, greatly enlarged and with projecting framelines that adjust not only for parallax but also for varying frame angle. This larger finder necessitates a higher top cover, such that the rewind crank of the III would foul it if not radically redesigned. The crank is therefore stepped. Konica IIIA When viewed from the front, the Konica IIIA (April 1958) has three finder windows, the rightmost of which is fairly large even by today's standards. The three are for the rangefinder, projected brightlines, and viewfinder (and rangefinder) respectively. The finder has 1:0 magnification, such that the photographer can easily look through it with one eye yet keep the other eye open. The lens is a 48mm f/2 Hexanon. In July 1958 came the option of a 50mm f/1.8 Hexanon; the two models were available as alternatives, for ¥32,800 and ¥34,800 respectively, including case.Advertisement in Asahi Camera, September 1958; reproduced in , p. 243. With the faster lens, it weighs 820g.Miyazaki, p. 34. Konica IIIM The Konica IIIM (March 1959) does away with the self-timer but adds an exposure meter and half-frame capability to the faster (50/1.8) version of the IIIA. The meter accounts for two add-ons: a device stuck about where the self-timer of the III is, and a flap hinged across the top that closes a set of selenium cells against the finder windows when not in use and opens them over the front when in use. The IIIM also came with a mask for half-frame photography. Inserting this automates a change to the appropriate film spacing and numbering systems. The finder windows are redesigned, such that two large windows appear. The IIIM cost ¥36,500, including case.Advertisement in Asahi Camera, May 1959; reproduced in , p. 243. Notes Further reading In English: *Herz, Nat. Konica Pocket Handbook. New York: Verlan Books ("A Universal Photo Book"), 1960. A detailed guide to the Konica IIIA and IIIM, as well as the Konica S and 35mm photography in general. (The copy examined also has a separately paginated section, The Konica FS and Konica F: A Guide to Better Single-Lens Reflex Photography, covering the Konica FS and Konica F, bound within the same covers.) * P. 83 (Konica IIA), p. 84 (Konica III), p. 93 (Konica IIIA), p. 97 (Konica IIIM). * Pp. 62, 76, 94, 99, 101. In Japanese: * Items 512–15, 1261–6. * Reports in Shashin Kōgyō on the Konica II: May 1952, May 1953, November 1953, April 1955. * Report in Sankei Camera on the Konica IIA: May 1956. * Test of the Konica III, Shashin Kōgyō October 1956. * Test of the Konica III (with Seikosha MXL shutter), as the first ever installment of "New Face Clinic", Asahi Camera, August 1957. *Test of the Konica III, Shashin Salon, March 1958. *Itō Tsuguyoshi (伊藤ニ良). "Konika I" (コニカ I). Utsushite tanoshimu kurashikku kamera (写して楽しむクラシックカメラ). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2001. ISBN 4879560636 Pp. 59–62. *Itō Tsuguyoshi (伊藤ニ良). "Konika II" (コニカ II). Utsushite tanoshimu kurashikku kamera 3 (写して楽しむクラシックカメラ 3). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2005. ISBN 4879560742 Pp. 114–19. *Itō Tsuguyoshi (伊藤ニ良). "Konika III" (コニカ III). Utsushite tanoshimu kurashikku kamera (写して楽しむクラシックカメラ). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2001. ISBN 4879560636 Pp. 63–8. * Konika-Minoruta-ten (コニカミノルタ展, Konica Minolta exhibition). Exhibition catalogue. Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2005. P. 10. * Konishiroku Kamera no Rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, History of Konishiroku cameras), vol. 10 (Autumn 1985 issue) of Kamera Rebyū Bessatsu: Kurashikku Kamera Senka / All about Historical Cameras. * Miyazaki Shigemoto (宮崎繁幹). Konika kamera no 50nen: Konika I-gata kara Hekisā RF e (コニカカメラの50年：コニカI型からヘキサーRFへ, Fifty years of Konica cameras: From the Konica I to the Hexar RF). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 2003. ISBN 4-257-12038-X. Pp. 18–57, 183. * Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Konika I" (コニカ I). P. 87. * Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Konika IIIA" (コニカ IIIA). P. 94. Links In English: *Instructions for the Konica I, Konica IIB, and Konica III, at Mediajoy's Guide to Classic Cameras *From the Konica Standard to the Konica IIIM, at matsumo's site *Konica III manual, from Michael Butkus *Konica III, IIIA and IIIM, by Dante Stella *Photo.Net thread on the Konica IIIA and another on the III and IIIA In Japanese: * Konica IIA, Konica III, Konica IIIA, Konica IIIM in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology *From the Konica Standard to the Konica IIIM, at matsumo's site (with more material than what's in the English version) *Konica I, Konica IIBm and Konica III at Nobu-chan's classic camera page *Konica I, IIB-m and IIIA at 一里家 *Konica I (50mm f/3.5), Konica I (50mm f/2.8), Konica IIB, Konica IIA, Konica III MXL, Konica IIIA at Konika/Minoruta no ayumi *Konica II at Honky Tonk Junk *Konica II *Konica II 1: Body, 2: Case, 3: Lens and supplement about the rangefinder at Hitorigoto *Konica IIIA at Puppy's Island *Konica I, Konica IIBm, Konica III, Konica IIIL2, and Konica IIIA at Range Finder (Fukucame) *Konica IIIA (50/1.8) Category: Japanese 35mm rangefinder Category: Konica Category: K